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Bermuda Chapter 54
🕑 Added 2024-04-14 12:24:17 +0000 UTCChapter 54
Leonardo abruptly woke up from his sleep. The room was completely dark, indicating it was still early morning.
He breathed heavily as if exhaling, then felt nauseous and sat up on the bed in the detention facility where he had been lying. As he looked down at the floor with hazy eyes, the floor seemed to be covered in blood, although it was clearly impossible.
He covered his face with both hands and rubbed it a few times as if washing his face. His forehead and body were drenched in cold sweat. As he brushed his hair back and gripped it roughly, Leonardo let out a deep sigh and bit his lip hard.
'Why again after not having them for a while....'
Closing his eyes, the tinnitus in his ears grew louder and louder. Screams and shrieks, roars, the sound of gunpowder explosions, and curses directed at him. The numerous sounds mixed together and painfully stabbed his head like needles.
The cries surrounded him entirely as if they were going to devour him.
Even when he opened his eyes and stared straight ahead at nothing, the sounds in his ears already made him feel like he was in the middle of a battlefield.
At that moment, Leonardo grabbed his left shoulder with his right hand due to the sudden extreme pain spreading from there.
'You're no hero. You're a disaster.'
"Get lost."
'That river of blood is all your doing.'
"I said get lost."
He clutched his head and writhed in pain. Sharp voices screamed at him right next to his ears. Feeling like his mind was about to collapse, Leonardo jumped up from his spot.
The blood covering the floor soaked his feet. Suddenly, in front of his eyes where there had been nothing, a mountain of countless corpses piled up, and the blood flowing from there gradually climbed up his legs.
A severed head rolled down from the mountain of corpses, chaotically covered with parts of dismembered bodies. The head was wearing a helmet, but half of it was caved in, exposing the dark red flesh and skin tissue.
Fragments of the broken helmet were embedded in the torn skin, twitching, and brain matter mixed with blood flowed out, creating a horrific sight. That thing, which could no longer be called human, constantly changed its expression toward Leonardo, crying and laughing.
'You will never.'
The last face, mixed with hatred and contempt, distorted. The burst eyeball clearly stared at Leonardo and spoke in a desperate voice.
'Die a natural death.'
*
Clank-!
As the day dawned, the guard opened the door to the detention cell where Leonardo was confined. As he stepped inside, he couldn't help but be startled. Leonardo was sitting on the sofa with a very ominous air, staring blankly.
At the sound of the door opening, Leonardo stared straight ahead for a moment, then slowly turned his head toward the guard at the door.
The guard, meeting his gaze, gulped and tried to hide his fear as he placed the Council's combat uniform, military boots, and Leonardo's new meal on the table that he had brought. Leonardo looked at the navy blue combat uniform and asked with narrowed eyes,
"What's that?"
His voice sounded more menacing than usual due to being hoarse. The guard cleared his throat and answered,
"There was a special order from the Commander to provide you with the Council's combat uniform for today's expedition. Consider it an honor."
At the guard's words, Leonardo scoffed and roughly rubbed his eyes with his palm.
"Honor... Bullshit."
The guard was angered by his response but didn't have the courage to say anything. He was about to leave the room after placing the items he had brought. At that moment, Leonardo called out to the guard and stopped him.
"Hey, wait a minute."
The guard turned around and looked at him as if asking what the matter was.
"My artifact that you confiscated. Give it back now."
*
Leonardo received back all the belongings that had been confiscated when he was caught in Frost Territory.
He took out the mage robe he often wore from the artifact. It was an expensive item with ivory color and light gold line decorations, boasting the highest durability against fire and electricity.
Leaving the provided Council's combat uniform aside, he put on his own mage robe, wore white gloves on his hands, and fixed a black cloak on his shoulders.
Finally, when he put on various rings that assisted in mana operation and stood in front of the mirror, a man with blond hair and golden eyes, whom even he himself felt like seeing for the first time in a long time, was in the mirror.
Leonardo stared at his real face for a long time. Perhaps because he had been hiding his face whenever he appeared in front of people for the past few years, it felt strangely unfamiliar to reveal his bare face and officially go outside.
At the same time, Leonardo suddenly felt that he was having a strange expectation.
Exploring the unknown, new missions, monster subjugation, group life with comrades. All of those were once like his daily life.
Although he didn't participate in this matter of his own will, it was the first mission he would officially carry out after the court-martial. Leonardo quietly felt his own heartbeat, then shook his head and spoke to himself while looking in the mirror again.
"What are you expecting?"
Knock knock-
At that moment, there was a sound of knocking on the door from outside.
This place was a detention facility, so the door couldn't be opened from the inside and could only be opened from the outside. Therefore, the guards never knocked before entering.
In other words, there was only one inflexible gentleman who would knock on the door of the detention cell where he was confined.
Leonardo looked toward the door and asked, pretending not to know.
"Who is it?"
Then, the solemn and pleasant low voice that had become quite familiar was heard.
"It's time to leave. Come out now."
After he said that, the tightly closed door slowly opened after a short while. A refreshing openness was felt.
The gentleman with blue eyes standing in front of the door came inside and looked at him for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the combat uniform left on the table.
"You didn't wear the combat uniform."
Leonardo answered somewhat curtly.
"I'm not even part of the Council, so why should I wear the Council's combat uniform?"
Hugo lightly nodded without saying much.
"Do as you please."
Leonardo carefully scanned the large man who spoke as if he didn't care much.
He had only seen Agrizendro in his white uniform every time, but seeing him in a navy blue combat uniform with black military boots and a black protective vest gave a different impression.
His body itself looked solid with a lot of muscle, and his shoulders and chest had a wide inverted triangle shape. The combination of his long legs and the military boots tightly laced up to his ankles, fitting his personality, created a quite pleasing line.
Moreover, perhaps because his hair was dark blue, it matched even better with the navy blue combat uniform. His shadowed blue eyes, sturdy jawline, and thick, long neck seemed to emphasize his strong and wild masculinity, unlike the upright and neat appearance he had felt while seeing him in uniform.
Leonardo pondered for a moment on what word to use to express this feeling.
Somehow... it was...
'Kind of sexy....'
"Leonardo."
At the sudden voice calling his name, Leonardo looked at his face, slightly flustered, thinking he had been too blatantly checking him out.
However, Hugo didn't seem to be talking about that as he opened his mouth and spoke to Leonardo solemnly.
"You'll know from your military experience, but individual actions in group missions can put the entire team at risk. So keep my words in mind and follow only my orders. Understood?"
At that, Leonardo blinked a few times with a dumbfounded face and answered with furrowed brows as if treating someone like a fool.
"Hey, you were also part of the Imperial Army once. Then you should know, right? How much controlled group life the military requires. Of course I know that."
At Leonardo's response, Hugo looked down at him quietly for a moment, then nodded slightly and said,
"Alright, it's good if you know well. But it's unexpected. I thought you wouldn't know that information since it's been almost 10 years since I was in the Imperial Army."
That was understandable. The period when Hugo had been in the Imperial Army for a certain period of time due to his family's honor was before Leonardo had even enlisted.
Even during his military service, he was a considerable elite, but because of his family background, he wasn't assigned to a renowned special forces unit like Armsilver that was dangerous. As a result, his activities at that time didn't stand out much either.
Hugo began to engage in notable activities when his superior at the time, Abraham Langaster, moved to the Council and he joined the Council together with him. Many people didn't even know that he had been in the Imperial Army in the past.
But Leonardo knew this. At Hugo's reaction, Leonardo added as if it was no big deal.
"Well, I don't know much about what happened back then. But whenever I rummaged through old documents, your name often appeared even when I didn't want to see it."
The corners of Hugo's mouth curled up slightly as he listened. He looked quite pleased as if he had caught something.
"Then you must know well. That I'm almost 10 years your senior. Your current attitude doesn't seem to be the way to treat a senior."
Leonardo, at a loss for words, made a dumbfounded expression while also looking guilty.
"...You're going to bring that up now?"
Hugo chuckled as if he didn't mean much by it, checked the watch on his wrist, and gestured with his chin toward Leonardo.
"Let's go now, we don't have much time."
Comments
Matcha Latte 🌻
“Leonardo pondered for a moment on what word to use to express this feeling. Somehow... it was... 'Kind of sexy....'” I’m sorry sir! 😂
Monmon
The shameless ogling from both sides literally kills me
Bernie Jay
The flirting is imminent!!!! I’m so excited!
Sophie
And Hugo joking afterwards, priceless
Jesse Gibson
Leo checking him out hahahaha
